CHAPTER XXX.
YOUNG LOCHINVAR
"So light to the croup the fair lady he swung, So light to the saddle before her he sprung; 'She is won! we are gone--over bank, bush and scaur; They'll have fleet steeds that follow,' quoth Young Lochinvar."
The next afternoon, Major Gilcrest, from the window of a back room, sawhis daughter coming in alone through the shrubbery, and stronglysuspected that she had been meeting Abner Logan again. Gilcrest,however, said nothing to her, and she went upstairs. She remained inher room, busy over some needlework, about an hour. Then, as it wasgetting too dark to sew, she put aside her work to go downstairs; butjust then she heard the key turned in her door, and found it lockedfrom the outside. She was a prisoner in her bedchamber.
She remained there for two days, without seeing any one but the negrogirl Polly, who three times a day came to the room to replenish thefire and to bring her meals. From Polly, Betsy learned that Mrs.Gilcrest was ill and confined to her room, and that Major Gilcrest waspreparing for a journey, and purposed taking his daughter with him. Hesent by Polly a curt note which further enlightened Betty of hisintentions. She was directed to pack her clothes and be in readiness tostart with him for Massachusetts as soon as her mother's health wouldallow him to leave home. He also informed Betsy that he meant to leaveher in Massachusetts at a boarding-school.
Instead of obeying her father's command, Betsy spent her solitary hoursin trying to hit upon some mode of escape from her prison, or at leastfor some means of communicating with her lover.
On the third night of her imprisonment she retired early, feeling thatshe would need all her strength for the morrow's struggle; for she wasfully resolved that no power on earth should be strong enough to compelher to leave home with her father. She was exhausted, and soon fellasleep. In the night she was awakened by some one shaking her andcalling her name softly. She opened her eyes, and found Aunt Dilseystanding over her with a lighted candle in one hand.
"Sh--, sh--, honey, don't mek no noise!"
"How did you get here?" asked Betsy, sitting up in bed and nowthoroughly roused.
"I stole de key f'um de nail in de hall, an' den slipped up de sta'rs.I allus walks jes lak a cat, you knows, so Marse Hi didn't heah me. Butnebbah min' dat now. Git up quick, an' do whut I tells you. I'segwineteh he'p you 'scape to Marse Abner, dis berry hour. He's waitin'fur you on his nag down to de bars at de eend ob de leetle woodspastur', an' he'll tek you straight to de preachah's house, an' you kinbe married right off."
"But, mammy," began Betsy.
"Shet up, chile, an' do ez I says. It's yo' on'y chance; fur onct MarseHi gits you 'way f'um heah, it'll be many a long day foh you sees yo'sweetheart ag'in. I tell you yo' pap's thet desprut dar's no tellin'whut he woan do teh keep you an' yo' sweetheart 'part. So doan let meheah no 'jections, but jes' listen to me. You'se to slip out frew deole log-room heah--you carn't git out frew de hall; fur yo' pap'll heahyou, shore, kaze his door's open, an' you knows he allus sleeps wid oneeye an' bofe years open. But you go inteh de log-room, an' clamb out byde windah. See! Heah's a rope I done mek outen bedclothes. We'll tie itto de bed-post, an' it's plenty long 'nough to reach most to de groun'frew de windah, whut hain't more'n twelve or fou'teen foot f'um degroun'. 'Sides, dar's notches all down de wall outside whah dechinkin's done fell out. So you kin hold ontah de ropes, put yo' footsin de gaps, an' git down ez easy ez ef 'twuz on sta'r steps."
The chamber Betsy occupied was in the ell of the house, andcommunicated through a closet with the upper room of the old log houseof two rooms which had been left standing when the new house was built.The lower apartment of this old structure was now used as aweaving-room.
"But why not go down through the window of the lower room?" askedBetsy.
"Kaze I carn't fin' de key to de door et de foot ob de sta'rway intahde loom-room. But you woan hab no trouble, noways, climbin' down datwall. So hurry, an' while you dresses, I'll pack up some ob yo' clo'sin a bundle. I'se done shet ole Jock an' Ponto up in de woodhouse tokeep dem f'um barkin' an' rousin' yo' pap. Soon's you'se down safe,I'll go out an' lock yo' door ag'in, slip down de sta'rs, an' Marse,when he fin's you'se skipped, will think you'se 'scaped by yo'se'f.But, anyways, I doan much keer ef he does fin' dat ole Dilsey holpedyou; I hain't feared. He woan dar' tackle me."
"It seems hard," said Betty, "that I must steal out of my father'shouse in this way like a thief; but it's my only chance."
Aunt Dilsey's plan worked successfully. Betsy, by means of herbed-quilt rope and the chinks in the wall, had no difficulty in makingher escape. Old Dilsey, as soon as her young mistress reached theground, softly dropped the bundle after her, and then the girl spedacross the snow through the side yard to the little woods, where at thebars her lover awaited her. She climbed up behind him on his brownmare, Bess, and in a short while reached Barton Stone's house.
Logan had already related the circumstances of the case to theminister, who said that the young couple were fully justified in thestep they had taken; and so they were married. Stone and his wife urgedthem to remain the night with them, but Abner said that Mr. and Mrs.Rogers were expecting them. Accordingly they rode away, and reached theRogers home about midnight. Late as it was, the entire family were upand fully prepared to receive them.